Apparatus for cleaning article interiors



In: 16, l925.

W. FRANKLAND ET AL APPARATUS FOR CLEANING ARTICLE INTERIORS Filed Nov. 27, 1922 Patented June 16, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT? OFFICE.

WILLIAM FRANKLAND, or ROCHESTER, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, Ann. THOMAS ED- MOND MALONEY, or PADDINGTON, SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUsTaALIA.

APPARATUS FOR} CLEANING -ARTICLE INTERIORS.

Application filed November 27, 1922. Serial No.'60 3,596.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM FRANK- LAND, a British suluect, residing at Roclr ester, in the State of Victoria, Coinmon-.

tain new and usefulImprovements in Apparatus'for Cleaning Article Interiors; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe narrow opening at the'mouth of an article,

is shown resting on supports.

invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.v a

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for cleaning articles and particularly the interiors of cans. casks, large bottles and the like.) \Vith our apparatus differentfaces, corners, and seams of articles may be rapidly and effectively cleaned simultaneously. In using our construction the cleaning of interiors is etlectedby the friction of brushes positioned within the article to be cleaned. A series of brushes with their carrier can, when in a retracted position, be inserted through a relatively after which the brushes will be swung outwardly into contact with the internalfaces to be cleaned. All these'inovablebrushes are swung outwardly or retracted (as the case may be) simultaneously. i

' our apparatus also includes a fixed brush or brushes. The :forms and natures of What we call, for-brevity,-brushes, arevaried, according to the articles to be cleaned, and the stages of the cleaning. It may be necessary to clean some articles in stages, by

using hard scrubbing brushesfirst, and then drying and/or polishing brushes, or like frictional membersh v The details and uses of our invention are explained hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which we illustrateone'form of ourapparat-us adapted to clean the internal faces of milk cans.

Figure l is a partly sectional side elevation of the apparatus with all brushes in operative position within a milk canwhich Figure 2 is a View part1" insectionat 'clean overlaps the area which right angles'to Figure 1, and as seen from trough and below, but omitting part of the lazy tongs of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an end view of the apparatus as seen from the can bottom, which is omitted, the'can body being shown in section. Figure 4 is an enlarged section of the left end of Figure 2, and I I Figure 5 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the shaft end that fits into the bottle.

- To clean the bottom of the can l 0. series of brushes is providedwhich includes a brush 2, the casing or'stock 2 of which is located at the end of a brush carrier 3 of stem form. Carrier 3 can be detached and another substituted, equipped with brushes or their equivalents of different types and SIZES."

Unlike other brushes to be described,

brush 2 does not require and has no means for retraction for the purposes forwhich they are retractable. By having brush 2 small enough to be drawn through the can neck 1 and by the retraction of the other brushes,- the parts of our apparatus within the can are readily extractable from it, or thecanmay be drawn clear allowing another to be substituted. The series of bottom brushes includes a pair of brushes l" each to operate at any convenient angle to brush 2, as at rlght angles to 1t, andadapted to be retracted near the carrier when required. The inner end of each brush t is pivotally connected to a support shown as a pin-20 on a lug of'the carrier. Brushes l'will clean an annular area of the can bot tom somewhat overlapping the area which brush 2 will clean, as Figure 3 makes ob viousa Brushes i'have outer brushing faces l which enter the can corner 1 andbear against the lower portion ofthe can wall. They have also connections to links hereinafter mentioned.

A brush 5, to bear upon thecan wall is provided, and is so connected to the carrier and to'le vers'hereinafter described that it may be retracted near the carrier, or be swung outward to bear against the wall.

The area which an end 5 of this brush will i derportion 1 we provide means tobear on and clean the shoulder surface and adjacent parts. This means is shown as brush 6 and it is connected tov the carrier and to links hereinafter mentioned and adapted to be retracted near the carrier, or to be swung outwardly to bear against the shoulder, that being, in the case illustrated in an oblique position. The brush 6 at one end 6" will be located to clean part of the can neck 1 when desired. The other end 6 of the bruslrwill clean a part of the can wall, overlapping the area cleaned by brush 5 at its end 5 which may clean part of the shoulder.

carrier guide slots 12 and carry pivotally one end of a link 18, the other end of the link being connected to the stock 6 of brush 6. This stock is connected at one end to a support, being hinged to a lug on a collar 14 on the carrier.

Another pair of links 15 is also pivoted to, a pin carried by tube 10; pin 11 may be utilized as shown. Links 15 extend to inner arms of levers 16, which are fulcrumed to the carrier at 16 and have their outer arms connected to the stock 5 of wall brush 5.

To this stock are also pivoted ends of a pair of links 17, which at their other ends are pivoted to a supporting pin 17 on the carrier. Brush 5 may thus be adjusted in working or in retracted position, it being given parallel movement inthe case illustrated.

. A slidable rod 18 extends into tube 10 and into the carrier, and carries a pin 18*, the pin holding inner ends of a pair of connecting links 19, which extend outward through carrier guide slots 3 to, in each case, the stock 4 of a brush 4:. 1

-Movement of rod 18 outwardly of the can will, by its action on links 19, retract brushes 4: from the operative position in Figure 2 and bring them against the carrier into the positions shown dotted.

Suitable longitudinal movement of tube 10 will, by its action on the consecutively connected members 11, 15 and 16and on member 13 through member 11swing brushes 5 and 6 into operative positions; when tube 10 is moved in the reverse direction, the said brushes will be retracted near to the carrier.

Tube 10 extends at 10 outward beyond shaft 7 and rod 18 extends at 18 outward beyond tube 10. 21, 21 are bearings fitted to the extensions 10 and 18, the latter having for convenience a collar 18 between it and the bearing.

A member of each bearing carries a connection, shown as pin 21, to a device whereby the bearings may be moved towards or away from each other, from time to time as desired, and whereby parts 10 and 18 may thus be moved longitudinally simultaneously in opposite directions. By such movements the connections within the can will be moved to cause the whole of the adjustable brushes described to assume simultaneously their operative or their inoperative positions.

To secure movements of the bearings, pins 21 are connected with bars 22, 22 of a lazy tongs, a joint 22 of which is connected to an operating member shown as a flexible wire 22, which extends to a handle, pedal or other control not shown. The lazy tongs is set by a spring 22, normally the spring tending to contract and draw the tongs joint 22 towards the opposite joint 22 and force apart the intermediate joints mounted on the bearings, thus forcing apart the bearings so as to set the brushes into inoperative position.

Actuation of the control handle or pedal will drawthe lazy tongs joints 22 22 apart, bringing the bearings into their close position and causing the rod 18 and tube 10' to move as per arrows A, B, consequently causing all the adjustable brushes to move into their operative positions. By regulating the movement of the handle or pedal, the pressure of the brushes against the can surfaces may be regulated. Portions 21" of bearings 21 are fixed against rotation with the shafts by being secured to the hand controls 22" and 22 by links, and ball bearings are disposed between these portions and the shafts 10 and 18 to permit of the rotation of the shafts in said portions 21. Inasmuch as longitudinal motion must be transferred to the shafts, the other portions 21 must be fixed to the shafts, as by keying or frictional fitting. Consequently when the lazy tongs and levers are drawn together as by pulling out upon the cable. 22 the stationary collar sections 21 will force the rotating collar sections 21 together, because of the fact that the last mentioned collar sections are fixed to the shafts, the shafts will be given a similar longitudinal or axial motion. The sections 21 are the fixed sections and 21 the rotary sections. These collars are merely to slide the shafts axially and not to turn the shafts, the power being derived through pulley 9.

To some extent variations in can dimensions are compensated for by the fact that the can surfaces to be brushed arrest the adjustable brushes in the course of and before completion of their outward strokes, the

links and levers being made long for this purpose.

The article to be cleaned should be suitably supported, and be easily movable into and out of operative position. In the drawings 24 is a trough having blocks 25 to support the can, and 24 is a bearing through which shaft 7 extends into the can. Shaft 7 also has bearings 8.

Rotary movement is conveyed to all the brushes by rotating shaft 7 which is fitted with driving devices shown as fast and loose pulleys, 9, 9. This shaft rotates the carrier simultaneously.

Any suitable cleaning material or materials, such as a liquid, with or Without steam,

would be used and after cleaning, any desired step may be taken to dry and/or sterilize the can interior, but we do not claim as new the use of any such step or any cleaning material.

Our mechanism can be operated without the whole of the brushes being in action.

For example, to clean a cylindrical can not rising above the end 5 of brush 5, brush 6 could be out of action, and could if desired be detached, or brush 6 could rotate outside the article being cleaned, or partly outside the same.

We claim p 1. In combination, a'hollow stem, collapsible brushes carried thereby, means for rotating said stem together with the brushes, a tube extending into 'said stem, a connection between said tube and certain of the brushes for collapsing and expanding the same on longitudinal movement of the tube, a rod extending through said tube and the stem and slidable relatively to the tube, connections between said rod and the other brushes for collapsing and expanding the same on movement of the rod, and means for actuating said tube and rod.

a tube extending into said stem, a connection between said tube and certain of the brushes for collapsing and expanding the same on longitudinal movement of the tube, a rod extending through said tube and the stem and slidable relatively to the tube, connections between said rod and the other brushes for collapsing and expanding the same on movement of the rod, the end of the tube extending beyond the driving means and the rod extending beyond the tube, and means for yieldably shifting the outer ends of said tube and rod away from each other.

3. In combination, a hollow stem, collapsible brushes carried thereby, means for rotating said stem together with the brushes, a tube extending into said stem, a connection between said tube and certain of the brushes for collapsing and expanding the support, links upon theother side of the collars secured together, a connection at the meeting point of the last mentioned link, and resilient means for tending to spread the links and the collars.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

WILLIAM FRANKLAND. THOMAS EDMOND MALONEY. 

